Overview: According to the study authors, approximately 24 percent of preschool children are overweight or obese. The researchers provided a series of 11 nutrition-focused group visits during the babies’ first 18 months. As a result, 90 percent of these children had lower rates of overweight and obesity at 2 years of age. The program included promoting and teaching “positive dietary behaviors, responsive parenting and feeding practices, and peer support during the first 18 months of life.”

How to apply: This research is relatively new, so there are probably not a lot of these types of programs available. However, here are a few vetted websites that can get you started on your learning quest:
– American Academy of Pediatrics: Infant Food and Feeding
– https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/HALF-Implementation-Guide/Age-Specific-Content/Pages/Infant-Food-and-Feeding .
– University of Michigan Health System: Feeding Your Baby and Toddler (Birth to Age Two): http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/feedbaby.htm
– NIH US National Library: Infant and Newborn Care https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infantandnewborncare.html
– British Nutrition Foundation: Nutrition through life https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/life.html

– United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service: Feeding Infants: A Guide for Use in the Child Nutrition Programs (this is a full PDF Book): http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/feeding_infants.pdf

High Fat Diets Lead to Daytime Sleepiness and Poor Nighttime Sleep.

Overview: “University of Adelaide [Australia] researchers have found that men who consume diets high in fat are more likely to feel sleepy during the day, to report sleep problems at night, and are also more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.” The other problem is that when you’re tired you eat more unhealthy foods – it’s a bad cycle.

· Poultry: Choose primarily chicken and turkey, and make sure to select lean cuts. The leanest poultry choice is white meat from the breast without the skin.

o Remove the skin either before or after cooking to reduce the fat content by almost half. Leaving the skin on during cooking will keep the meat juicier. But keep in mind that if you remove the skin after cooking, the fat underneath will have melted, and some will have been absorbed into the meat ­ which is also why it is juicier.
o Trim all excess fat from poultry before cooking.
o Rather than using fat such as butter and oil to enhance poultry’s flavor, try flavored vinegars, wines, herbs, spices or citrus fruit.
o Cook poultry without added fats by baking, roasting, broiling, grilling or poaching. Stir-fry in olive or canola oil, or, better yet, use cooking spray.
o Avoid duck, which is very fatty.

· Meats (including beef, veal, pork and lamb): Look for lean meats and cut the fat. Here are some tips from the United States Department of Agriculture:

o The leanest beef cuts include round steaks and roasts (eye round, top round, bottom round, round tip), top loin, top sirloin and chuck shoulder and arm roasts.
o The leanest pork choices include pork loin, tenderloin, center loin and ham.
o Choose extra-lean ground beef. Look for at least 90 percent lean. You may even be able to find ground beef that is 93 percent or 95 percent lean.
o Choose lean roast beef, ham or low-fat luncheon meats for sandwiches instead of luncheon meats with more fat, such as regular bologna or salami.
o Avoid meat that is heavily marbled, that is, streaked with fat. Look for meat with the least amount of visible fat.

For cooking:

o Trim visible fat beforehand.
o Broil, grill, roast, poach or boil meat instead of frying.
o Drain any fat that appears during cooking.
o Skip or limit the breading ­ it adds fat and calories, especially since it causes meat to soak up more fat during frying.

· Dairy: Dairy is a great source of protein and calcium, However, dairy is full of fat, so always choose low-fat or nonfat milk, yogurt and cheese.

Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Helps Adolescents to Eat Healthier Foods And Be More Active

Overview: Researchers from the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University conducted a pilot study of 40 adolescents which found that mindfulness-based eating awareness training encouraged adolescents to eat healthier and exercise more and reduced their tendency to gain weight.

How to Apply: Here are a couple of the techniques used in the study and a few other tips you can use:
– Meditation:
o Raisin Meditation: See http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/raisin_meditation ; http://hfhc.ext.wvu.edu/r/download/114469

o Breathing Awareness Meditation (BAM): “The BAM technique involves having the individual sit upright in a comfortable position with eyes closed. The technique cultures ‘moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness’ while the individual focuses completely on the activity of breathing. Subjects are instructed to focus upon the movements of their diaphragm while breathing in a slow, deep, relaxed manner. Subjects are taught that if they find their attention shifting toward unrelated thoughts, ideas, or images, to simply acknowledge and accept them without making judgments about them and to shift attention back to the breathing.”
– Eat Slowly: Take your time – the foods will not disappear.
– Be Aware: Be aware of the foods you’re eating. Think about the food, it’s nourishment, taste and texture.
– Shut it off: Try to eat in silence when you can. No TV, computer, or phone calls.
– Learn about your food. Learning more about where your food came from helps you to consume it more mindfully.
– Make sure you are hungry when you eat; be aware of food cues. Just because it’s noon doesn’t mean you have to eat if you’re not hungry. Eat when you are hungry (if time allows).

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#Saru Jayaraman is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the #Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United) and Director...

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